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the enemy have any part or portion therein, directly nor indirectly, fo may God Almighty help him. And as we wish to fee the faid mafter profper in his lawful affairs, our prayer is to all the beforementioned, and to each of them feparately, where the faid mafter fhall arrive with his veffel and cargo, that they may pleafe to receive the faid mafter with goodness, and to treat him in a becoming manner, permitting him, upon the ufual toll and expences in paffing and repaffing, to pafs, navigate, and frequent the ports, paffes, and territories, to the end to tranfact his bufinefs where and in what manner he fhall judge proper: whereof we fhall be willingly indebted.

In witnefs and for caufe whereof, we affix hereto the feal of this city.

(In the margin.)

By ordinance of the High and Mighty Lords the States General of the United Netherlands.

CONVEN

CONVENTION

BETWEEN THE

LORDS the STATES-GENERAL

OF THE

UNITED NETHERLANDS

AND THE

UNITED STATES of AMERICA,

CONCERNING

VESSELS RECAPTURED.

The Lords the States General of the United Netherlands and the United States of America, being inclined to eftablifh fome uniform principles with relation to prizes made by veffels of war, and commiffioned by the two contracting powers, upon their common enemies, and to veffels of the fubjects of either party captured by the enemy, and recaptured by veffels of war commiffioned by either party, have agreed upon the following articles.

THE

ARTICLE I.

HE veffels of either of the two nations re-captured by the privateers of the other, fhall be reftored to the firft proprietor, if fuch veffels have not been four-and-twenty hours in the power of the enemy; provided the owner of the veffel recaptured, pay therefor one-third of the value of the veffel, as alfo of that of the cargo, the cannons and apparel; which third shall be valued by agreement between the parties interested; or, if they cannot agree hereon among themfelves, they fhall address

themselves

themselves to the officers of the Admiralty of the place where the privateer who has retaken the veffel, fhall have conducted her.

ARTICLE II.

If the veffel re-captured has been more than twenty-four hours in the power of the enemy, fhe fhall belong entirely to the privateer who has re

taken her.

ARTICLE III.

In cafe a veffel fhall have been re-captured by a veffel of war belonging to the States General of the United Netherlands, or to the United States of America, fhe fhall be restored to the first owner, he paying a thirtieth part of the value of the fhip, her cargo, cannons and apparel, if fhe has been recaptured in the interval of twenty-four hours, and the tenth part if she has been re-captured after the twenty-four hours; which fums fhall be diftributed, in form of gratifications, to the crews of the vessels which fhall have retaken her.

The valuation of the faid thirtieth parts, and tenth parts, fhall be regulated according to the tenor of the first article of the present Convention.

ARTICLE IV.

The reftitution of prizes, whether they may have been retaken by veffels of war or by privateers, in the mean time, and until requifite and fufficient proofs can be given of the property of veffels recaptured, fhall be admitted in a reasonable time, under fufficient fureties for the obfervation of the aforefaid articles.

ARTICLE V.

The veffels of war and privateers of one and of the other of the two nations fhall be reciprocally, both in Europe and in the other parts of the world, admitted into the respective ports of each, with their prizes; which may be unloaded and fold, according to the formalities ufed in the State where

the

the prize fhall have been conducted, as far as may be confiftent with the twenty-fecond article of the Treaty of Commerce: provided always, that the legality of prizes by the veffels of the Low Countries, fhall be decided conformably to the laws and regulations established in the United Netherlands; as likewife, that of prizes made by American veffels, fhall be judged according to the laws and regulations determined by the United States of America.

ARTICLE VI.

Moreover, it shall be free for the States General of the United Netherlands, as well as for the United States of America, to make fuch regulations as they fhall judge neceffary, relative to the conduct which their respective veffels and privateers ought to hold, in relation to the veffels which they fhall have taken and conducted into the ports of the two powers.

In FAITH of which, we, the Deputies and Plenipotentiaries of the Lords the States General of the United Netherlands, and Minifter Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, have, in virtue of our respective authorities and full powers, figned these prefents, and confirmed the fame with the feal of our arms.

DONE at the Hague, the Eighth of October, one thousand feven bundred and eighty-two.

GEORGE VAN RANDWYCK.

(L. S.)

[blocks in formation]

(L. S.)

D. I. VAN HEECKEREN.

(L. S.)

(L. S.)

(L. S.) (L. S.)

JOAN VAN KUFFELER.

F. G. VAN DEDEM. (Tot den Gelder)
H. TJASSENS.

JOHN ADAMS.

Hh

AUTHENTIC

CA

O P Y

OF THE

PROVISIONAL ARTICLES

SIGNED AT PARIS, NOVEMBER 30, 1782, BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF HIS BRITANNICK MAJESTY AND THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

ARTICLES agreed upon by and between RICHARD OSWALD, Efq. the Commiffioner of his Britannick Majefty for treating of Peace with the Commiffioners of the United States of America in behalf of his faid Majefty on the one part, and JOHN ADAMS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, JOHN JAY, and HENRY LAURENS, four of the Commiffioners of the faid States for treating of Peace with the Commisioner of his faid Majefty on their behalf on the other part, to be inferted in, and to constitute a treaty of Peace propofed to be concluded between the Crown of Great Britain and the faid United States; but which treaty is not to be concluded until terms of Peace fhall be agreed upon between Great Britain and France; and his Britannick Majefty fhall be ready to conclude fuch treaty accordingly.

WHEREAS

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